Ants-On-A-Log (a snack from my childhood that I have a new
found love for!)

Getting carded at the liquor store on a day I felt frumpy

Watching TV in bed

Fresh Ontario garlic!

Old friends

New possibilities

Having a desk for my computer

Colourful scarves

80s movies

Magnetic poetry

Wall calendars

Being able to walk up a hill

The sound of birds chirping

Old episodes of “The Good Wife”

Notepads

My new backpack

Mason jars

Kleenex

Learning to trust my instinct

Voicemail

Blended soups

My go-to
soup is a spicy and comforting mix of red lentils, sweet potato and curry. Quick
and easy to throw together, you can basically forget about it while it’s
cooking and have a nourishing meal on the table without too much work.
This soup also freezes really well for a fast week-day supper. If you don’t have sweet potatoes handy butternut squash is also good.

Curried Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

1 tbls olive
oil

1 onion,
chopped

3 cloves
garlic, minced (less or more to taste)

1 inch of
ginger, grated

1 tsp curry
powder

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp
cinnamon

Sea salt to
taste

1 cup red
lentils, rinsed

1-2 sweet
potatoes (depending on the size), peeled and chopped

Parsley and
hemp hearts for garnish (optional)

Heat oil on
medium high heat until hot; add onion and sauté until translucent, about 7min.
Add garlic and ginger to the pan and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add in spices
and sauté for another minute. Use a bit of water to deglaze the pan. Add sweet
potatoes, lentils and enough water to fill the pot leaving about an inch of
space. Heat to boiling, cover and then simmer for 45min – 1 hour, until lentils
are cooked and sweet potato is tender. Blend in batches until you have a creamy
soup! I sometimes add in greens at this stage when I’m blending – kale and
spinach both work well. I enjoy my bowl of soup garnished with parsley and hemp
hearts.